The Chicago Tribune - Commentary: Sen. Dick Durbin: George Floyd's legacy can -- and should -- be a "future where we can all breathe freely'

Op-Ed

By Richard Durbin

Last weekend, I met with groups of young African Americans on the South Side and in Springfield. I also spoke with black staffers who work in my Washington, D.C., and Illinois offices.

I wanted to hear directly from them what the marching and protests meant. It was clear that the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis changed the conversation about justice in America and moved these young people to stand up and speak up.

I asked each of them about "the conversation": that moment in their young lives when a parent first warned them about what it meant to be black in America. One young woman remembered her mother cautioned her to always ask for a receipt with every purchase to prove the item was not shoplifted. Many talked about hair styles and clothing they learned to be dangerous in the eyes of white America. They were each warned about the danger of any contact with the police and how their tone of voice and every move had to be carefully considered. Every one of them remembered the first time they were called "the N-word."

The graphic video of George Floyd pleading "I can't breathe" and the cold stare of the police officer ignoring the pleas for mercy touched the conscience of America and the world.

These young people know, and we all know, that George Floyd was not an exception.

The anger and pain that we have seen on the streets in recent days is a reflection of generations of trauma. People are fed up with the racism that has led to this injustice and many of the young people leading this protest are determined not to live in its shadow any longer.

There are hundreds of thousands of police officers in our nation. Most will never use their firearms. Many who do must make split-second life-or-death decisions. I know many and believe they are professional and humane. But if we are honest, we know that within their ranks are police officers who do not have the training or the temperament to be entrusted with the authority and power they have been given.

We need an honest conversation with police chiefs and law enforcement leaders on inherent bias, use of force, training, and accountability for unjust actions. Prosecutors and judges need to join us in the pursuit of real justice. And legislators, like myself, need to undo the damage of a criminal justice system fraught with racial disparities.

The Obama Task Force on 21st Century Policing released a report in 2015 to strengthen community policing and restore trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve. The Trump administration shelved this effort in 2017. It is time to return to it.

This week I joined Sens. Cory Booker and Kamala Harris in co-sponsoring the Justice in Policing Act 2020, a comprehensive approach to bring accountability to policing, change methods and practices, and build trust. It draws the line on odious police practices and sets goals and standards for recruitment, training and retraining.

But even that is not enough.

Justice in America requires more than improving law enforcement. We cannot put racism behind us until we invest in opportunities for quality education, medical care that meets the highest standards, jobs with livable wages, and safe, affordable housing.

The young people I met with last weekend want an America that is more just. Let them lead us into a future where we can all breathe freely.

Democrat Dick Durbin is the senior U.S. senator from Illinois.

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